The Sopranos stars reunite for 20th anniversary

Widely hailed as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, mafia drama The Sopranos is credited with paving the way for how modern television is made.

Now, the cast of the groundbreaking series have reunited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its debut and remember its star, the late James Gandolfini, who died in 2013, aged 51.

Gandolfini played New Jersey mob boss and patriarch Tony Soprano, with fans following his trials and tribulations balancing criminal activities with family life, often through his visits to his psychiatrist, played by Goodfellas actress Lorraine Bracco.

Edie Falco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler were among those to gather in New York to mark the anniversary, along with Gandolfini’s son, Michael.

Falco, who played Tony’s long-suffering wife Carmela, spoke to Variety about her experiences on the show.

It feels very weird, she said. First of all, that it’s 20 years, that’s crazy. And not that I don’t think of Sopranos, but when I do, I almost feel like it’s a dream I had.

It’s a very private relationship with that chapter of my life and then here I am with cast members and realising that they all have a private relationship with it and when we get together it becomes very much alive and it becomes so obviously wrong that Jim (Gandolfini) isn’t here.

Which is not something I think of on a daily basis, but obviously he was an integral part of the show but also of the alchemy of our cast. It’s a very unusual, very rich experience, being here.

The Sopranos, which ran for six seasons and won 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globes, is credited with changing the TV genre and making way for more mature series on the small screen, including The Wire, Breaking Bad and Game Of Thrones.

When the series ended after eight years in 2007, many fans were angered by its famously abrupt ending, which leaves the fate of the Soprano family a mystery.

However, Falco said she is a fan of the way it finished, saying everyone has different theories about what it meant and I love that.